Pile extractor



Patented July 15, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE grim EXTRACTOR J fiva tei n hn, Rochester, Mich." Appeasement s1, 19ss, seria1n6. 238.119

' s Claims. (crass-139) This invention relates to pile: extractors and particularly to extractors for interlocking metal piles.

"An? object of the invention is'to install on a suitable mast a block andtackle mechanism-for multiplying a force applied to extract piling, and

to equipsuch mast with a seating member having aiprovision'for engaging it firmly'with oneof a row of interlocked metal piles; while another of suchpiles is'being extracted; Y Another object is to providethe'seating memberrofsaidmast with 'a pair' of depending ribs conformed in shapeto the offset mid-portion of 1a standard type of pile and" adapted to so straddle such pile that the latter will restrain the mast-from horizontal shifting in any direction. A-further object is to adapt said seating member to be secured to the mast in either of two-positions differing by one hundred and eighty degree: rotation about the mast axis, to facilitate seating the mast on any of a row of piles which are ofisetin opposite directions on alternate piles. 'A further object-is to-iadaptf said 'seating'memher-to swivel" about .thevertfcal axis ofthe mast, and'to "provide means'forlatching it to the'mast in either of two positions-differing by a'hiindred 'and eighty degreerotation; and to'yieldably hold it either 'latched position by' spring means which may 'be manually overcome. I K'furthr objects to edulp'thesating inniber with-fhandle elements" facilitating its 'rotative rn u l lemseia 1:. 1:

These and various other objects are .attained by the'construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig; 1 is a side elevational view offiheextractor, showing its working relation toa row of metal piles.

Fig. 2 is an elevationalyiewof'the same, as seen at right angles toFig. 1. 1 f

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view, taken-on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. If

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the mast-particularlyshowing its seating provision.

. Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view showing the anchorage of a guy cable to oneof the piles .Fig. 6 is airagmentary elevational view of a mast having an. alternative provision for rotatively attaching a .seating member.

Fig. 7 is a vertical sectional view of thesame taken on the line l---'! of Fig.6.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view of the same taken on the line 8-8 of Fig. 6.

In these views, the reference character I desig-' nates a row of-ordinary metal piles having-any desired interlocking provision, such as exemplified'at 2. As is common, the upper end portion of each pile is formed-midway between the interlocking margins, with one or more apertures 3-to-facilitate handling- The improved extractor comprises a mast 4, preferably of H-beam construction, and tothe bottom of such mast is welded or otherwise rigidly secured a base plate 5 of heavy sheet metal. Removablyattached to such plate is a seating plate 6 also of heavy sheet metal and preferably corresponding in its main dimensions to the plate 5. Welded toand extendingcentrally across the plate 6, therebeneath, is a pair of depending parallel ribs 1, shaped and spaced to straddle the upper end of. any of the piles l ,whereon the plate 6 may be seated. When thus seated, the base of the mast is held ina vertically centered relation 'to the seat-forming pile, since relative movement transverse to the pile is obviously prevented, and

the. conforming oifset of the pile and ribs prevent horizontalmovement in the approximate plane of the pile. The spacing of the ribs 1 affords them a fairly free and easily established engagement with apile.

Attachment of the plate 6 to the'plate 5 may be effected by providinga pair of upstanding pins 8 on the former'plate near its margins remote from the ribs, and inserting such pins-through openings 9 in the plate 5, locking pin l8 being then engaged with the pins 8 above'the plate 5. Preferably a pair of handle members Illa are Welded or otherwise secured to opposite margins of the plate 6 to facilitate its manipulation.

. To the upperend of the mast are Welded bearing plates II for a set of sheaves l2, such plates so projecting laterally from the mast as to locate the shaft l3 journaling said sheaves at a distance from the axis of the mast approximately equal to the distance between the axes of the piles l.' Tackle l4 engaging the sheaves l2 suspends a block l5 equipped with sheaves l6 and the powerapplying span I 'l of such tackle extends upwardly to engage the boom- (not shown) of a hoist or derrick; and to extend on such boom to the hoist drum.

Carried by the block I5, at itslower end, is a pin 18 pivotally mounting a pair of depending,

elongated pullingplates l9 jointly carrying at their lower ends a pair, of pins 20 spacedforene gagement in the openings 3' of anylpile I." The pins 20 are interconnected by relatively long locking pins 2| inserted in openings transversely formed in the ends of the first-mentioned pins, whereby the latter are detachably held in the plates l9.

At the top of the mast, both flanges of the H- beam are preferably cut away, exposing the web of such beam, as an upstanding tongue 22. This is engaged by a guy cable 23 extending diagonally downward and anchored as shown at 24 in Fig. to one of the piles I, thus counteracting the lateral strain on the mast exerted by stresses in the tackle [4 when a pile is being extracted. An aperture 25 in the tongue 22 is engageable by a cable 25a for hoisting the mast to and from its position of use, and holding it upright, during use.

In the modified type of mast shown in Figs. 6, 7, and 8, a seating plate 26 centrally carries an upstanding pin 21 which engages freely in a cen: tral aperture of the base plate 5'. To further accommodate such pin, the web of the mast 4' is formed adjacent to the plate 5, with an opening 28. The upper end of the pin 21 is reduced and threaded to receive a nut 29 beneath which a washer 3B is clamped against the shoulder formed by reducing the pin. Compressed between such washer and the plate 5 is a coiled spring 3| surrounding the pin 21 and tending to hold the seating plate firmly against the plate 5'. Projecting oppositely from the seating plate is a pair of handle members 32, welded or otherwise rigidly secured at their inner ends to the top face of the seating plate. The plate 5 is formed with marginal notches 33 at opposite points thereof to accommodate the inner ends of the handle members, the seating plate being thus latched in either of its positions of use.

In use of the appliance for extracting a row of. sheet metal piles, the mast is initially seated on the pile next adjacent the one to be first extracted, usually the end one of the row. Having engaged the pulley plates with the last-mentioned pile and anchored the guy cable, power is applied to the line H, and the block and tackle so multiplies the force applied through said line, that little difliculty is ordinarily experienced in effecting the extraction. The mast is then shifted to the next adjoining pile and-the operation is repeated.

Each time the mast is shifted from one pile to the next adjacent one, it is necessary to rotate the seating plate through one hundred and eighty degrees, because of the alternating arrangernent of the piles, best seen in Fig. 3. In either described form. of the invention, the desired rotation may be quickly and easily eflected. To rotate the plate 6, the locking pins [0 are removed, thus permitting withdrawal of the dowels 8 from, the openings 9. The seating plate being thus removed is reversed, end for end, and again secured in place by the dowels and locking pins. The modified seating plate 26 does not require separation from the mast, in rotating such plate, it being necessary merely to unlatch the plate by exerting a downthrust On the handles 32, thus overcoming the-spring 3i and disengaging said handles from the notches 33. Thereupon the seating plate is rotated, and when the handle ends again register with said notches, the spring effects relatching of the plate.

It has been found that the described appliance permits extraction of sheet piling at a much more rapidrate than apparatus in present day use,

because of the ease with which the appliance can erable by a gas engine, whereas steam equipment has heretofore been necessary.

It is also an advantage of the described appliance that itprevents a pile or a group of piles adjoining the one directly receiving the pulling stress from being lifted by frictional adhesion. Such prevention follows necessarily from seating the mast on the pile next adjoining the one to be extracted. It is in most cases quite undesirable to pull more than one pile through frictional adhesion, since the adhering piles are thus subjected to abnormal stresses, tending to bend them out of proper shape, and separation of several piles, if extracted in unison, is quite difiicult to accomplish.

The invention is presented as including all such modifications and changes as come within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a pile extractor, a portable mast, a seating plate for the mast, means swiveling the plate on the mast to turn'about the mast axis, afiording the plate a limited play along said axis, means yieldably urging the plate upwardly against the mast, and a pair of handles for manipulating the plate, projecting from opposite margins thereof, the mast having openings receiving portions of said handles in either of two positions of the plate, differing by a one hundred and eighty degree rotation of the plate, to latch the plate against rotation in either of such positions, actuation of the plate to the lower limit of its play serving to withdraw the handles from said openings.'

2; An extractor for'pulling arched, channel or trough shaped alternately reversed metal piles, comprising a portable'mast, a plate for seating themast' having a downwardly opening groove with bent or curved ends to fit the top of one of said piles, means for securing the plate to the mast in eitherof two positions 'differingby a rotation of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees about-the axis of the mast, whereby in shifting the mast from one pile to the next pile said plate may be turned to conform to the reversal of said next pile, without turning the mast, and power multiplying pulling mechanism on the mast, attachable to the pile to be extracted.

3. A pile extractor as set forth in claim 2, said plate securing means comprising a pair of dowel pins upstanding from the plate substantially at opposite sides of its center, thebase of the mast having sockets accommodating said pins in either of said positions of the plate.

4. An extractor for pulling arched,.channel or trough shaped alternately reversed metal piles, comprising a portable mast, a plate .for seating the mast having a downwardly opening groove with bent or curved ends tofit the top of one of said piles, means swiveling the plate on the base of the mastto turn about the approximate vertical axis of the mast and occupy either of two positions differing by a rotation of substantially one hundred and eighty degrees, whereby in shifting the mast from one pile to ,the next pile, the groove of said plate may be conformed. to the reversal of said next pile, without turning the mast, meansfor latching the plate to the 2,248,936 mast in either of its said positions, and power multiplying pulling mechanism on the mast attachable to the pile tobe extracted.

5. In a pile extractor as set forth in claim 4, spring means for yieldably holding the plate in either of its latched positions.

6. In a pile extractor as set forth in claim 4,

said swiveling means comprising a pin carried by v ternatively receive said handle, according as the plate is in one or the other of said positions, said swivel means affording the plate a limited play to and from the mast to engage the handle in or disengage it from either recess.

8. A pile extractor as set forth in claim 4, said swiveling means comprising a pin carried by and upstanding from said plate substantially centrally thereof and socketed in the mast, a spring coiled about said pin and reacting between the pin and mast to yieldably hold the plate upwardly against the mast, the plate being releasable from said latching means byovercoming said.

spring, the mast having a web extending lengthwise thereof and substantially diametrical to the axis of the mast and such web having an opening adjacent to the I seating plate accommodating said pin and spring.

' WALTER BEHM.- 

